Posts Tagged ‘Hotel Guanahani & Spa’

Its actual location is clearly defined

After 27 years of being in St. Barth, I learned that what we thought was a fact is actually a factoid! Now, convincing people of this newly discovered information is going to be a huge challenge because people won’t believe me. I am hoping that you can help spread the word.

It started out this way: Last week we took an island tour with Hélène Brenier, the owner of St. Barth Easy Time Tours. Our clients have raved about the various tours that she offers and I wanted to experience one for myself. Hélène was born in St. Barth and knows her island well. She is also the founder of St. Barth Essentiel a non-profit organization dedicated to “protect that which creates diversity, the originality, the beauty and the harmony of St. Barthélemy.” In other words, she is the “watch dog” whose main interest is protecting our precious island and preserving the environment.

Connie, Peg and Hélène in front of the St. Barth Essentiel office on the top of Gustavia

We began our around-the-island tour by going to Saline and stopping at the salt pond where we learned about the island’s history of making salt. It was a difficult job but it brought in some income. The salt production stopped in 1972 when the island decided to rely on tourism as its major industry. We heard lots of tidbits about the people who settled here as we continued our tour. Most of the men had to go to St. Thomas to make a living. One such gentleman went home to see his wife once a year and as a result they produced 23 children! Phew! We saw the little “case” (house) where they were born and lived. Today, the siblings range from 50 to 90 years old.

Saline Beach

Back to the point of my blog. We stopped at the top on Grand Fond to admire the view. There is a lookout spot with a large map detailing the area. Soon after this map was put up, an old-time local fisherman telephoned Hélène to tell her that the map was wrong. The artist had called the body of water on this map the Atlantic Ocean. The fisherman said that St. Barth is surrounded entirely by the Caribbean Sea, the Atlantic is much further to the east of here and that the map needed to be corrected. What??? I was always told that the wave action that connects Grand Cul de Sac Lagoon and Marigot Bay is caused by the fact that this is the very spot where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea. Hélène thought so too. Everyone thinks this factoid is true.

The Lookout at Grand Fond

A Close Up of the Lookout’s Map with the Incorrect Information

Hélène researched and researched but each person she consulted insisted that the fisherman was wrong. Finally she decided to ask for assistance from a geologist who is a real authority on the subject. He reported that, indeed, the islands in the Lesser Antilles (which includes St. Barth) are solely in the Caribbean Sea. “According to the definition of the IHO (International Hydrographic Organization), the only islands that officially have Caribbean and Atlantic coasts are: Cuba, Haiti, Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico and Trinidad.” He went on to say, “In conclusion, officially, the island of St. Barthélemy is not washed by the Atlantic Ocean but by the Caribbean Sea only. Custom, says otherwise.” I was thrilled to learn this new fact. I always knew that some islands such as the Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos claim that they are in the Caribbean but they are too far north and are actually in the Atlantic Ocean but for some reason no one seemed to know that St. Barth is surrounded by the Caribbean Sea. Until now, that is…

Grand Cul de Sac View

A few days after our island tour, I had a site inspection at the Hotel Guanahani & Spa. I was admiring one of their newly refurbished suites and when I went out onto the suite’s deck to admire the view, the staff member who was escorting me pointed to that very spot in the lagoon and said, “That is where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea.” …Not! When I corrected her, she was not at all impressed and looked at me as if I had lost my marbles. That factoid has been circulating for so many years that it is a real challenge to convince people otherwise. Hélène and I now know this new fact is true and now you know it too. Spread the word, s’il vous plaît.

Hotel Guanahani & Spa

P.S. Once you have selected your accommodation in St. Barth by contacting one of our Specialists at reservations@stbarth.com, our concierges can arrange an island tour with Hélène. It is a must do!

The Dog Days of Summer in the United States can be defined as a time period or event that is very hot and/or stagnant. Why not pack your carry-on, jump in a plane and head to St. Barth to attend an event in Barth that is not to be missed? It’s the St. Barth Summer Sessions that is promoted by St. Barth Rocks.

St Barth Rocks is a non-profit organization whose goal is to bring artists and musicians to perform in Saint Barthélemy all year long. This year it is promoting St. Barth Summer Sessions which is an annual event that brings in very talented artists to perform each evening between August 05 and 15. Both were created by hotelier Thierry de Badereau of Hotel Tom Beach and his famous restaurant La Plage. It has grown into an extremely popular event that will take place at a variety of different venues all over the island and include a concert featuring all of the invited artists that will take place on the harbor’s quai on August 13th.

This year’s festival focuses on artists from Brazil. Performers such as TAIS ALVARENGA the Brazilian 23-year-old songwriter, composer, actress and singer who graduated from Bostons’ Berklee College of Music with a degree in film scoring will surely dazzle us all. ALVARO KAPAZ who was born in São Paulo, Brazil was awarded the Berklee Achievement Scholarship for his outstanding involvement with the college, He is also one of the creators of the band, Project K-Paz that will be entertaining you. The ABERTO PRA BALANCO TRIO formed by young São Paulo musicians that has rocked at parties, events and concerts in São Paulo and other parts of Brazil will be sure to rock you too.

Artists from elsewhere such as the ASHLEY RODRIGUEZ TRIO one of the famous finalists and singers from American Idol 2010 who graduated from Berklee in 2009 will bring her ‘All Girls Band’ to the Summer Sessions. Tom Howie is a 22 year-old guitarist and songwriter whose soaring vocals and songwriting talents have drawn comparison to Jeff Buckley and Thom Yorke. In November, he will release his third solo album, The Right and Wrong of Everything. RYAN FARDY has created his own genre, mixing Blues, Rock, Funk, R&B, Soul and Pop. At 24 years old, Ryan has had a fantastic start to his 10-year career. He has opened for the legendary Chaka Khan, Leon Russell, Edgar Winter, Mountain, Snoop Dogg, Rick Derringer, Hoobastank, and more.

Let’s not forget the DJ’s! YO–ONE SUTTER is resident DJ at restaurant La Plage, his music is a mix of electro acoustic, Soul, Swing, Jazz and Latin Beat and he’s doing a fusion between Live Music and a DJ set. JOSE PADILLA /DJ CAFÉ DEL MAR, IBIZA first arrived on Ibiza in 1975 and has been DJing there ever since. With the ‘Café del Mar’ series he is the so-called “spiritual father of Chill-Out”. He has gone from a poor barrio in Northern Spain, to a jet-set DJ lifestyle; guesting in London, Paris, Monte-Carlo, Amsterdam, Miami, Italy, Moscow and Australia. Who else will be there? Steve and I had the pleasure of dining with Thierry the creator of Summer Sessions, Tom Beach Hotel’s Assistant GM Aymeric Bourdin and DJ ALEX MERRELL who will be spinning for you. Alex’s style is distinct yet tailored to the audience, influenced by house, electro, dance, hip hop, classic and indie rock, top 40, lounge and world music.

The events will take place at Taïno restaurant at the Hotel Christopher in Pointe Milou, Le Bartoloméo restaurant at Hotel Guanahani & Spa on Grand Cul de Sac as well as at the restaurant La Plage at Hotel Tom Beach which is located on St. Jean Beach. In addition, performances will be held at Hotel La Banane which is surrounded by an exotic garden and is in Lorient as well as Bonito restaurant which boasts an extraordinary view over the Harbor of Gustavia (Where we host our cocktail party from the end of November through the end of April). Plus more great venues like La Gloriette, a beach restaurant located on the lagoon of Grand Cul de Sac, Le Tamarin located in a huge garden with its famous tamarind tree and parrots and is located on the way to Saline Beach are also hosting performances. As previously mentioned, a concert for the etire island will be held on the harbor side quai Saturday night August 13, 2011. For me it’s a must-do!

Don’t miss out on this great event! Contact reservations@stbarth.com or call 1-800-421-3396. Book an accommodation for 5 nights or more for any stay that includes any date between August 01 and 27, 2011 and St. Barth Properties will give each person in your party one 50 euro voucher to be used towards a fun evening at Le Ti St Barth while you are there. (The voucher is non-transferable and valid through August 27, 2011). This offer is applicable for new bookings made between June 28 and July 08, 2011 or until we run out of vouchers (80) whichever comes first. Reservations at Le Ti must be made in advance prior to your arrival.

Le Ti St. Barth is Located in Pointe Milou. Everything you’ve heard about this party place is true; the restaurant’s gourmet food, the Champagne in abundance, the wine cellar, the island’s hottest fashion show with DJs from the music capitals, theme nights and cool people from around the planet dancing on tables!

Connie and I checked out of Villa Les Embruns on Thursday and later that day we headed to the Hotel Guanahani & Spa where we had been invited to stay for our last two nights. As I mentioned to you before, our staff inspects and re-inspects the villas and hotels that we represent so that we can provide you with the best possible service and up-to-date information as possible when assisting you with finding the perfect accommodation that will suit your particular needs.

I had been trying to see the Four Star Luxe Hotel Guanahani & Spa’s new Admiral Suite and Serenity Suite ever since they were completed last December, but each time I tried, they were always booked (a very good sign as far as I was concerned). We arrived at the reception desk around 5:30 and guess what? We were going to be staying in the Admiral Suite! – What a nice surprise. I drove my car to the lower parking lot while one of the very nice members of the staff accompanied us to our suite and brought us our luggage. All that I can say is, “Wow.”

One of the many ocean views and fabulous porches at the Admiral Suite

We entered by the main door. (There are 3 separate ways to enter the suite.) My bedroom was on the left. It featured a huge walk-in closet/dressing area, a super comfy king size bed that looks out to the wonderful porch with 2 rocking chairs, a dining table and an amazing view of Grand Cul de Sac. The bathroom is something else! It has a Jacuzzi tub and a big picture window that also looks out to the lagoon. There’s a separate shower and a double sink vanity.

My Bedroom in the Admiral Suite

The Jacuzzi tub in my bathroom

Connie’s room offered an en suite bedroom with an option of having either a king size bed or 2 twin beds. She had her own desk for her laptop as well as a porch with rocking chairs and a completely different view of another area of Grand Cul de Sac. Each of us had access to the fabulous living room with wet bar, mini bars and an espresso machine. Another desk was available for me to use and we had free Wifi throughout the suite. (Don’t you just hate it when luxury hotels nickel-and-dime you to death by charging for Wifi?). There are sliders to 2 additional porches with more rockers and outdoor dining.

Connie's Bedroom that can be made up with a king bed

Admiral Suite Living Room

Our butler (included with Prestige Suites) came to show us how everything worked and told us that she was available until 10:00 pm every day. By the way, The Admiral Suite was named in honor of Christopher Columbus who discovered St. Barthélemy on his second voyage to the Caribbean in 1493. He named this beautiful little island after his brother Bartoloméo. It was on this second voyage that Columbus was made an Admiral.

We had dinner reservations at Bartoloméo (Bar’tô for short) the hotel’s famous gourmet restaurant. Elegantly styled, its all-white décor complements the dark wood of the lounge and bar area. Their famous chef Philippe Massaglia’s menu selection was so divine that it was difficult to choose our courses. I finally settled on two appetizers, the Goat Cheese Soufflé followed by the Lobster Ravioli. Connie began with the Lobster Ravioli then followed that with an Angus Beef with Gorgonzola Sauce and mushrooms – All that I can say is that everything was outstanding.

Goat Cheese Soufflé

Lobster Ravioli

Angus Beef with Gorgonzola Sauce and Mushrooms

The next morning we had a delicious breakfast at their wonderful beach front restaurant Indigo which overlooks the pool, the beach and the lagoon. (Try lunch on the beach at Indigo’s on the Beach-yummy).

Our breakfast table at Indigo

Poached eggs on toast anyone?

Then, Carole gave us a very informative site inspection. I was finally able to see the Serenity Suite which sits on top of the hotel grounds and features two bedrooms one of which is 6 steps down from the main level and has a sunken Jacuzzi in the bathroom. A nicely furnished living room with sliders leading to the deck and private swimming pool look out to the colorful hues of the sea.

The Serenity Suite's pool and view

The living room at the Serenty Suite

Master bedroom in the Serenity Suite

We continued on to see the very private Marigot Suite that is a 2 bedroom Pool Suite which is adjacent to the spa. It boasts a private spa treatment room for 2 in a garden setting and a private swimming pool in the front that looks out to a view of Marigot Bay. There’s a master bedroom (king size bed) and a second bedroom with king and/or twin beds located on either side of the living room. The best part? Four Spa treatments are offered to the suite’s lucky guests each day.

The private spa area in the Marigot Suite

We finished with the 2 bedroom (king and King/twin) Pelican Suite which has a living room with convertible sofa, a deck without door dining, a Jacuzzi and a lovely view of Grand Cul de Sac…a very productive morning indeed.

The living room in the Pelican Suite

Merci beaucoup to the management and the entire staff at Hotel Guanahani & Spa for your hospitality and for welcoming us at your magnificent hotel.

I’m serious…the weather here is gorgeous! Look at the pictures I just took. I don’t mean to rub it in…BUT…What is keeping you from picking up the phone (1-800-421-3396) or sending an email (info@stbarth.com). We will get you out of the cold ASAP. You deserve to thaw out and enjoy a week or two of bliss on beautiful St. Barth.

Today's view - January 31, 2011

Another view - January 31, 2011

Over the weekend my repeat clients who were due to arrive at beautiful Villa Plaisance on Thursday, saw the forecast for Philadelphia and decided to get out now! They were able to change their flights, get rooms for the night in St. Maarten and we were able to add an extra day to their villa stay. It is as easy as that. Now they can enjoy a longer time in St. Barth. (They told that they already know that next year they will book even more nights.)

Why not consider jumping on a plane in the next few days so that you can take advantage of a very last minute special that is being offered by the wonderful luxurious Hotel Guanahani & Spa. Relax with a complimentary massage; enjoy the beach, their wonderful restaurants (one evening on them!) by taking advantage of this special.